1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for recovering spent abrasives used in an abrasive blasting apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Abrasive blasting systems are well known and have been used for many years to clean surfaces. Many abrasive blasting systems use sand as the abrasive and utilize various recovery schemes for removal and recovery of the sand. With the advent of the use of metallic abrasive particles, the need for recovery of these metallic particles became more important. Metallic abrasives are very expensive and can be re-used; thus, systems have been built to recover the spent abrasives. One such system is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,007 to Sprague. This patent discloses an abrasive recovery system in which the spent abrasives fall through a perforated floor and are swept into a conveyor channel. This system utilizes a cable and pulley network for pulling the blades back and forth across the floor. The blades are retracted when moving away from the channel and engage the abrasives when moving toward the channel.